With a 2-0 clean sweep, Viridis Arcus Esports makes history as the first-ever UAAP Season 87 Valorant Esports Tournament Champion, obliterating the Teletigers Esports Club today, August 16, at the Hyundai Hall, Areté in Ateneo de Manila University.
After an all-around performance, Aaron Sablay, the team’s top fragger from Taft, was hailed as the tournament’s first-ever Grand Finals Most Valuable Player.
Ice-cold first win
The opening game of the highly-awaited finals match was set in the arctic two-site Icebox, with a double-duelist lineup featuring Jett, Yoru, Sova, Viper, and Killjoy on the side of the Green-and-White; the rival team flaunted the same lineup, only swapping Gekko for Sova. Viridis Arcus claimed first blood in the game, starting on the attacking side. The first few rounds served as an adjustment period for both teams, feeling their ways as they went.
The Teletigers Esports Club claimed their first-round win in round three because of a dropped spike, leaving no time to plant for DLSU. In response, the team tried to enter B Site slowly but surely, playing post-plant. However, a nifty retake was UST’s response to this, and the score tied at 2-all. Mind games and strategies were put into play while the Lasallians gradually built their momentum.
The team played safe to ensure their post-plant positions proved to be effective. It was a bickering game between the two teams, exchanging utilities and maximizing each agent’s potential to secure a round win for their respective teams. A Viper’s Pit was activated on the side of Viridis Arcus that was quickly countered by a Killjoy lockdown, which was quickly denied by eliminating the enemy Killjoy, bringing the game to a 5-3. Sneakily, DLSU gave little to no information about their whereabouts during the first half, putting UST at a disadvantage—ending the first half with an 8-4 advantage.
Switching sides, Viridis Arcus defended the sites with newfound confidence from the early half. Sablay was seen holding the back for his team, which showed that UST struggled to make an entry even from behind. Viper’s Toxic Screen earned some assists for Luis Corpus as the Teletigers entered the site decayed and vulnerable to attacks. A dauntless Taft-based squad was seen during the latter half, going for an aggressive push to the entering Tigers. DLSU was one step closer to winning the championship, ending the battle in Icebox at 13-5.
A binding championship victory
Viridis Arcus needed just one more victory to secure the inaugural crown, and the deciding match happened in Bind, a map with two sites and no middle, equipped with one-way teleporters. A star-studded double-duelist lineup featuring Raze, Yoru, Brimstone, Skye, and Cypher was played by La Salle, while UST selected the same agents but chose Gekko over Yoru.
With DLSU on the attacking side, Sablay’s Raze Nade was lucky enough to earn a kill, but they found it challenging to enter the site. They ended up playing post-plant again, eliminating more enemies and winning the pistol round. Viridis Arcus knew how to counter and trade each utility the opposing team threw at them. The Green-and-White continued to win rounds, but it was not until the rivals found their momentum that La Salle struggled to take site.
The Teletigers were seen spraying their bullets through the strategic smokes of DLSU’s, earning them free kills. At this point, the team from Taft knew they had to change their ways, going for an even slower push and planting the spike very late into the round. Confused, the Thomasians started rotating, not knowing the Lasallians had tricks up their sleeve, 5-4.
It was a Gruenberg-Sablay connection when they went head-on with the Teletigers and cleared the site for their teammate’s safe entry, a Lucas Gruenberg three-kill in showers being a highlight of the first half. A commendable clutch by Corpus was the cherry on top, carrying the spike to the opposite site, planting it, setting up his sky smoke to his advantage, and ultimately repositioning to isolate his remaining two enemies, ending at 8-4.
With La Salle as defenders, the 13th round was blessed with a Gruenberg four-kill. The Rookie of the Year’s performance was applauded, maximizing Yoru’s abilities, activating a Fakeout, and confusing the last enemy standing. Cleverly, he left a rift tether that he teleported to when he heard the opponent planting. At this point, UST was seen struggling to seek them out, spraying their bullets, and even almost being sandwiched by DLSU in Showers. Viridis Arcus knew they had to wrap things up, shifting to an even more aggressive playstyle.
The Teletigers tried to keep up with the fast-paced game, making an explosive entry with all their utils and a failed showstopper. However, Viridis Arcus did not let them get in their way, ending the final match at 13-7 and being crowned the first-ever UAAP Valorant Esports Tournament champions.
After the finals showdown ended, Team Captain Sablay shared his initial thoughts on being crowned champions and Grand Finals MVP, “We all think as a team, and that’s what matters the most.” He emphasized that the victory wasn’t just about him but, more importantly, a collaborative effort by the entire team.
Viridis Arcus Esports will be gearing up for the Acer Predator League Philippines in Cebu City this November, hoping to secure a spot to represent the country at the Predator League in Malaysia.
The Scores:
DLSU – 2
UST – 0
Game Scores: Icebox 13-5, Bind 13-7
